Three men awaited execution by firing squad in the condemned cell, from which the site of their forthcoming ordeal could be clearly seen.
The first, an Englishman, was taken out and stood against the wall. As the 5 man firing squad raised their rifles, he suddenly shouted "Avalanche!" at the top of his voice. The soldiers looked about in alarm, threw down their rifles and turned and run for their lives. Taking advantage of their sudden departure, the Englishman scuttled away as fast as his legs would carry him and escaped to his freedom.
The second condemned man, a Scot, seeing the success of this ploy, when his turn came shouted "Flood!", with exactly the same highly successful effect, and off he scampered to his freedom.
The third man, Paddy an Irishman, impressed by the initiative of his colleagues, determined to follow suit.
As the weapons were raised and fingers curled around the 5 rifle triggers,
The luck of the Irish.
This one brought a laugh